Voyage of the Rock Aliens

Plot

A guitar-shaped spaceship and its robot, 1359 (voiced by Peter Cullen), search the universe for the source of rock and roll music. After rejecting the planets Teldar and Malox, they arrive at Acirema, where a dance performance of “When the Rain Begins to Fall” featuring Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson as rival gang members in love is dismissed by 1359. The last planet is Earth. A rocket telephone booth lands in Speelburgh, and the alien group ABCD (pronounced "Absid") (Tom Nolan) exits. They force robot 1359 to become a fire hydrant.

Only the Sheriff (Ruth Gordon) witnesses the landing and becomes obsessed with alien invaders. Dee Dee (Pia Zadora), a high school singer, loves Frankie (Craig Sheffer), leader of the local band The Pack (Jimmy and the Mustangs). She dreams of singing with the band, but Frankie refuses. A giant tentacled creature from environmental pollution lives in nearby Lake Eerie and periodically extends its arms into town.

The aliens, played by the band RHEMA, encounter Dee Dee, Frankie, and The Pack at a malt shop. Absid loses his head (explodes and is reassembled) over Dee Dee and decides to win her. His crew collects specimens like flowers, leaves, and cow chips.

STUVWXYZ (pronounced "Stovitz") (Patrick Byrnes) crosses paths with escaped mass murderers Chainsaw (Michael Berryman) and The Breather (Wallace Merck). Feeling rejected by Frankie, Dee Dee accepts Absid's offer to sing for his band at the Heidi High Cotillion Dance and Battle of the Bands. Frankie and The Pack try to stop the aliens, who teleport through toilets. Dee Dee sings at the battle, with Frankie furious at her switch.

Production

The original script by James Guidotti, titled Attack of the Aliens, was conceived as a B-movie spoof blending elements of Beach Party movies, alien invasion films, slasher films, and rock programs. Executives at Inter Planetary Curb, including Vice President of Development Edward Gold and consultant Charles Hairston, polished the script, turned it into a musical, and production began under the title Attack of the Rock 'n' Roll Aliens. Pia Zadora was cast first due to her stage and screen work.

Craig Sheffer was offered the role of Frankie because producers wanted acting experience; he chose it over a television series, another film, and the Broadway play Torch Song Trilogy (which he took after Rock Aliens wrapped). Sheffer initially thought he was hired for his long hair, but the filmmakers sent him and other cast members to the barber. Tom Nolan was chosen as Absid for his acting background. Dick Whitehouse, then-president of Curb Records, needed a new wave band and learned of RHEMA through an acquaintance.

Whitehouse, Zadora, and their entourage flew to Arizona to see RHEMA perform, and the band was cast minus bass player Bobby Freeman. Principal production took place in Atlanta, Georgia for 9 weeks in 1983. Outside scenes were shot in downtown Fairburn, Georgia, using local extras including members of the Fairburn Volunteer Fire Department.

Soundtrack

In 1984, Curb Records put out a soundtrack album for this film. The cover art plays down the movie itself, instead highlighting the hit single "When the Rain Begins to Fall" with Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora front and center. A number of songs that appear in the movie are missing from the album, and several of the tracks that do appear feature different arrangements than what's heard on screen. The album came out on vinyl and cassette in most countries, with a CD version released only in Germany.

The track list includes "When the Rain Begins to Fall" by Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora, "Little Bit of Heaven" by Pia Zadora and Mark Spiro, "Real Love" by Pia Zadora, "Nature of the Beast" by Michael Bradley, "Let's Dance Tonight" by Pia Zadora, "Back on the Street" by 3 Speed, "Openhearted" by Real Life, "She Doesn't Mean a Thing to Me" by Mark Spiro, "21st Century" by RHEMA, "Justine" by Jimmy and the Mustangs, and "My World Is Empty Without You" by John Farnham and Rainey Haynes. A song Zadora sang in the film, "You Bring Out the Lover in Me", didn't make the soundtrack but turned up on her own album Let's Dance Tonight, which also held alternate versions of most of her film songs. Neil Sedaka's "New Orleans" appeared on his album Come See About Me. Dara Sedaka's "Try to See It My Way", a cover of a 1980 Bryan Adams tune with Adams providing backing vocals, plays during the malt shop scene where Dee Dee meets Frankie, yet it goes uncredited in the movie.

Both songs by Real Life were on their 1983 album Heartland. Cliff Sarde's "Before the Jupiter Effect" and Michael Bradley's "Bobbie Ann" are listed in the end credits but were cut from the final film. Additional songs from the movie by Jimmy and the Mustangs, Michael Bradley, and RHEMA were never released by Curb Records, though promotional music videos exist for many, and former RHEMA members later put their tracks online. A fan-assembled "Expanded Soundtrack" with over 50 tracks, including remixes and alternate versions, first appeared as mp3s in 2010, then spread to other sites, torrents, and eventually surfaced as multi-disc CD bootlegs.

Home video

The film was released on VHS in the United States and Japan in February 1988 by Prism Entertainment. In the United Kingdom, it was released on VHS by Raven Home Video in 1997. In 2005, Moonstone Pictures issued it on DVD in the UK; fans complained about the quality, which appears to be from a video transfer. In 2009, Alive/CMV Laservision released a DVD in Germany subtitled "Let's Dance Tonight", featuring a clear full-screen print with German and English audio, the theatrical trailer, and alternate opening/ending scenes.

Due to PAL speedup, it runs a few minutes shorter than the US version. A 2-disc Special Edition was also issued in Germany, including alternate German credits, a UK ending, a photo gallery, a trailer, and a 45-minute Curb Records promotional reel of rare music videos. In 2013, Alive/CMV reissued the film on Blu-Ray with both widescreen and open-matte versions (upscaled from the same transfer), porting over all extras from the 2-disc edition and adding four TV spots, a 17-minute movie highlights promo reel, a photo gallery, and additional music videos. Vinegar Syndrome restored the film and released it on Blu-Ray in July 2022, featuring interviews with Patrick Byrnes, Greg Bond, Marc Jackson, Jeffrey Casey, and Crag Jensen from RHEMA, as well as producers Max and Micheline Keller, actor Michael Berryman, writer James Guidotti, costumer Donzaleigh Abernathy, and visual effects supervisor Peter Chesney.